“Why five percent? You could charge a lot more than that.”
“I don’t need more,” I said. “Five percent is more than we need. I give whatever we don’t use to my staff. They share it with their friends and family. And because five percent isn’t much, those who farm the crops don’t feel it’s too much of a burden to share. I don’t need to hire anyone to make sure they pay it. They keep an eye on each other and do it for me. None of them want to bring a good thing like this to an end.”
When I glanced over at Bianca. She was staring at me. She was slow to realize I noticed her and hastily looked away.
There had been a look in her eye. Respect? Surprise? Perhaps a bit of both.
“You didn’t think I’m capable of charity?” I said.
“No, it’s not that,” Bianca said. “It’s just… People rarely surprise me. I’m pretty good at reading them and I thought… Well, I didn’t think you would ever do something like this. You’re a good Titan.”
I would have been embarrassed to hear those words from someone else, but coming from her, it made me sit a little taller in the saddle.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “They’re the ones who have to do the hard work. I respect those willing to help themselves. Sometimes we need a helping hand now and then.”
Bianca grinned.
“That’s more like it,” she said. “That sounds more like the hard-nosed businessman I know.”
“You don’t know me.”
“No. Not yet.”
Her eyes drilled into me with meaning. She clucked out the corner of her mouth and drove the arjath down the hillside.
Had I just seen and heard what I thought I had?
She doesn’t know me… Yet.
Did that mean she planned on getting to know me? And if so, how deep was she willing to go?
I gulped at the word “deep.” It reminded me too vividly of my imaginings last night. I was only glad I was perched on the back of the arjath. The saddle gave me ample cover.
But Bianca was already halfway down the hillside, hurrying toward the farming townsfolk.
“No!” I said. “Wait!”
She was already gone, Cleb hot on her heels.
Oh no, I thought. This was going to be embarrassing…
I trotted down the incline but had no intention of catching up to Bianca. I tugged my hat down over my eyes to conceal most of my face. The last thing I needed was to be recognized. By the time I reached them, they had already dismounted and were approaching the locals. The arjaths grazed nearby.
“Hello,” a local woman with a pair of kids hugging her legs said.
Cleb, like me, seemed a little timid around the strangers. It wasn’t that they were dangerous—they were anything but. I just didn’t want to be recognized.
“We heard you were doing some farming,” Bianca said. “Do you need a hand?”
“We wouldn’t want you messing up your fine clothes,” the woman said.
“This?” Bianca said. “It’s just a dress. It’s not even mine. I grew up on a farm. I could help you if you’d like.”
“I’m afraid we’re about done,” the woman said. “Maybe if you come by a little earlier next time.”
She shared a toothy and not unpleasant grin.
“Oh, all right then,” Bianca said, a little disappointed. “No problem.”
The locals were afraid. Sometimes brigands or smugglers came down and stole their produce or worse. I had my guards make random sweeps across the areas where the locals farmed but the land was too broad to keep an eye on all the time.
“You shouldn’t be disappointed,” I said to Bianca as we walked away. “They’re a little skittish around strangers, that’s all.”
“It’s okay,” Bianca said. “I just thought it would be nice for Cleb to get to know some of the locals. Remind him the world is a big place. The galaxy too, for that matter.”
She took Cleb’s hand and led him back toward the arjaths.
I sighed. She really did want to help Cleb learn. Who was I to stand in her way?
Oh, man. I’m going to hate this…
I took off my hat and straightened up my suit and jacket. It was rumpled and a little stained from my earlier fall. The locals hadn’t turned around at my approach, so I cleared my throat and played nervously with the hat between my hands.
It took a moment for the farmers to recognize me. The first one to do so was a middle-aged man with two missing front teeth.
“Hey,” he said. “Hey, now. Wait a minute! You’re Mr. Traes! I never thought I’d ever get to meet you! Let me shake your hand, sir!”
“Oh, thanks,” I said. “But there’s really no need—”
He forcibly took my hand and slapped me on the back. Suddenly, another hand was there, and another friendly slap on the back. The women beamed at me and hugged me close.
“I’m very sorry, your lordship,” the first woman said, doing her best to curtsy. “I didn’t know it was you, otherwise I would never have been so rude to you or your friend.”
“Please,” I said. “I’m not a lord. Just call me Traes.”
It didn’t matter what I said, they refused to go any less formal than Mr. Traes.
They ushered me toward the crops they were growing.
“Come see what we’ve grown!” they said. “Your soil is so dark and rich! It’s perfect for growing!”
I pulled back.
“If you want to show someone your crops, it should be my… friend,” I said, unable to think of another title for Bianca. I could think of plenty I wanted to call her but we weren’t at that stage in our relationship yet.
I wrapped my arm around Bianca’s shoulders and placed a hand on Cleb’s head.
“You said you grew up on a farm, Miss?” the woman said. “Then you’ll love what we’ve managed to grow on the good lord’s land…”
Bianca shared a look with me as she melted into the crowd of locals. She held
